


Take On Me

by DracosPubicHair



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1980s, Angst, Because it's the 80s, Cocaine, Drug Abuse, Drug Use, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Sex Drugs and Rock and Roll, Smut, Summer Vacation, US Festival, ashton and michael are 19, asshole!Ashton, but then sweetheart!ashton, calum is a party animal, luke and ashton are brothers, luke and calum are 17, luke is reserved, mali has good intentions, mali is 20, michael is a mystery, musician!michael, photographer!luke, wannabe!calum
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-14
Updated: 2017-05-31
Packaged: 2018-10-31 21:39:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10907967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DracosPubicHair/pseuds/DracosPubicHair
Summary: "He didn’t know why he was taking all those photos of him, he didn’t even know his name. But the way he looked over the crowd, the way his lips pressed against the mic, the way his fingers danced along the fretboard, and the way the lights hit his face with a mesmerizing glow—a whole new world opened up for Luke, and he found a new art to capture."orLuke is a photographer that thinks only scenery is what’s worth capturing, but a struggling musician changes that, and Luke can't stop looking at his picture.





	1. Rock The Casbah - The Clash

**Author's Note:**

> This has been on my mind for the past 2 weeks and I start new fics all the time without finishing them but here's another one lmao
> 
> I MADE A SPOTIFY PLAYLIST FOR THIS FIC! Please check it out! Most songs in there are mentioned :-)
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/user/jademaltese/playlist/02vpkiWd5lnSoW0lenUnZe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING for this story: Drugs are a huge thing in this story, more specifically, cocaine because it is the 80s. I am not romanticizing this drug at all, I want to make this story as realistic as possible. Please read with caution or do not read at all if you are bothered by this.
> 
> In other news, I made a playlist for this story! Please give it a listen to make this story come alive as you read! :-)
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/user/jademaltese/playlist/02vpkiWd5lnSoW0lenUnZe
> 
> P.S. Idk who photoshopped that photo but credit to them, also i found this photo and i put the text there bc it WORKED SO WELL WITH THE STORY so lmao enjoy the story you guys :-)

 

Luke was running.

This was an everyday thing when you're living with a psycho brother with mad-man curly hair in the morning, but Luke wouldn't dare to say that out loud. "Give it back, you little shit!" Ashton growled, making savage eye contact with the younger boy from across the couch. Luke's eyes were wide and he was heaving from the amount of physical activity he did, scrambling around the house as his brother chased him over something, in Luke's opinion, incredibly stupid.

"You play this record every day! It's getting annoying!" Luke protested, clutching the record to his chest as he made rapid movements to try to escape either side of the couch. Ashton just groaned loudly and made the first move, working his way around the right side of the couch as Luke moved to the opposite way and scrambled into the kitchen. Luke smiled when he noticed his brother wasn't chasing him anymore, the atmosphere was oddly quiet now and he didn't like it. It was bound to happen anyway, maybe his parents would get annoyed by the constant repeat as well.

"Oh, Luke," called Ashton. Luke furrowed his brows and set the record onto the counter. He followed his brother's voice nonetheless and when he looked up, hanging over the loft was Ashton with a smug look on his face and his precious camera. His precious $70 dollar camera--that thing took him months to earn.

Luke's face went pale and he shook his head frantically, holding his hands out as if he could catch it whenever Ashton would throw it off, but Luke knew for a fact even if he tried to catch it, he would miss, because he sucked at sports, especially when he's as nervous as he is at this moment. "Ashton, don't you fucking dare. That's my Olympus OM-1 and you know that took me months to buy!"

"I know, Luke," Ashton chuckled, swinging the camera by the strap over the loft, Luke's eyes following it. He knew what was going to happen next. "Give me my record back."

"You're just going to keep playing it, I'm sick of hearing whatever the fuck they are. The Crash?"

Ashton rolled his eyes and undid one of the camera strap's sides, making it even more nerve-wracking for Luke, "The Clash."

"Ashton, please! I haven't even gotten the film in that developed!" Luke begged, practically on his knees. He wanted to pull his hair and and gauge the older boy's eyes out of his head as Ashton threatened to inch the camera out of his grip.

"You get to keep it IF you catch it." Ashton giggled, that stupid fucking smirk still on his face. And with that, Ashton let it go from his grip. Before he can react, the camera crashed onto the ground, the lens shattering and something inside it made a funny noise before it looked completely, utterly destroyed. Luke was pale and speechless as he stared at the remains of his camera. He didn't know what to think or say, but before he knew it, his eye filled with tears and his lip quivered uncontrollably. It felt like hours passed by as Luke started helplessly at his broken camera before Ashton said, "So, where's my record?"

 

~

 

Luke was running again, this time with his broken camera sitting lamely in his hands as he got on his bike and placed it delicately into the basket and zoomed down the street to the nearest repair shop. All Luke could think of was his camera and the film that was inside, which was probably messed up by now from the impact it made from the loft and onto the hard wood floors. He didn't want to waste his time plotting revenge on his brother, because what's the point if he's bigger and stronger?

He put his bike in the rack and picked up the camera, walking into the shop and hoped that $15 was enough for a repair. The man behind the counter wore a navy blue polo with the repair shop's logo and his glasses were too big for his face when he smiled at the boy, "What can I help you with?"

"Um," Luke began, trying not to cry as he placed the camera onto the table, "C-could you fix this?"

It only took the man once glance at the camera to determine that 'no' was the answer. "Do you have a warranty on this one?" Luke knew that getting a warranty would be a good idea, but he was too excited to buy his camera and promised himself that he would treat it like a newborn baby, but unfortunately his newborn baby got thrown off of a 2 story house by his older brother. Luke shook his head with shame, lowering his eyes at the broken camera before him. The man behind the counter sighed and took the camera off the table the placed it into a cardboard box behind him, "I'll make you a deal."

Luke furrowed his eyebrows and quickly wiped his eyes with his sleeve, "What?"

"I think the parts in your camera could be useful. You've got some nice little gadgets in here I could use for other projects. If you gave me this camera, I could trade you for something else." he explained, smiling at the boy. Luke nodded, curious as to what it may be. The man disappeared into the back room for a few minutes before coming out with a box, and inside, was something that made Luke gag. "This record player is from the 50s, a really beauty. She's in great condition and I'm sure a fella like you would enjoy it."

Luke flat out declined his offer with an annoyed look on his face, "I don't listen to vinyl. Keep the camera." and he exited the shop, angry and upset. He wanted to scream profanities at the sky as he rode down the street on his bike, so he did. If nothing was going to go his way today, then he might as well turn against the world for a few hours.

 

~

 

"Wow." Calum snickered.

"It's not funny." Luke whined, covering his face with his hands. He removed his hands for a second, glaring at his friends, "Will your turn that fucking music off?"

"Whoa, calm down." cautioned Calum, lowering the volume on the record player, "Luke, if you want me to be completely honest, your photography sucks."

Luke heaved with anger and groaned loudly, flipping his friend off, "Will everyone just stop being a fucking prick to me today?"

"No, like... Okay, I worded that wrong." Calum recovered, a small smile on his face, "I think your photography revolves around only one thing, and that's flowers and the sunset and shit. People don't want to see that, Luke." His best friend decided to give him more room to speak, so Luke urged him to go on, "What people want to see is... Adventure."

Luke just snorted at his words, "What do _you_ know about photography, Calum?"

Calum walked over to his record player and took out another vinyl, placing it into the player and released the needle. The familiar guitar riffs and lyrics filled Luke's ears, and he wanted to scream, but he contained himself as his best friend danced like a maniac in front of him with no shame. "This, Luke!" and Luke just quirked up an eyebrow, unsure of what his best friend was saying. Calum stopped dancing and laughed out loud at his friend, pointing at the record, "People want to see this! Capture this!"

And Luke has never been as confused at Calum's words as he was at that moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the read!
> 
> I update off of the feedback I get! Please leave your lovely comments so I know this story is some good shit :-) I love this story so much & I love YOU so much!
> 
> Here's the playlist for this story!
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/user/jademaltese/playlist/02vpkiWd5lnSoW0lenUnZe
> 
> -Jade


	2. Centerfold - The J. Geils Band

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to warn you guys that drugs is a huge part of this story and in this chapter, it's a pretty heavy topic so read with caution!

Calum glared at the table full of people with ripped jeans, dyed hair and heavy eyeliner. Luke didn’t know what the hype was about. All they did was listen to the music Ashton did, do cocaine and slept around a lot.

Calum, however, looked at this through a different lens. He dreamed to be like them. Calum’s sister, Mali graduated a couple years ago but she still keeps in touch with those who sit at that very table. She was popular and well known within that group of people and they knew how to had fun, quoted from Calum. Luke just rolls his eyes at his best friend’s words.

“They’re so cool, Luke,” Calum swooned, his hand propping up his chin as he stared at each individual person, “You think they have cocaine on them?”

“Of course they have cocaine.” Luke mumbled.

Calum began chuckling, and Luke knew exactly why. His stomach made an unflattering noise as Calum started to speak, “Remember that time we were at a party and Jackie was doing rows with Mali, and she told you it was coke but it was actually powdered sugar?”

“You bring that up all the time! You know I don’t like it when you do that! It’s embarrassing.” Luke muttered, stabbing his fork into his mashed potatoes.

“I’ll never stop until the day you die.”

“I better plan my funeral, then.”

Calum smiled fondly at the other boy before looking back at the table, “We should go to that party tonight.”

“No, Calum.”

“Why not?” Calum whined, slapping his hands onto the table, “Mali’s going to be there! She told me about it and she also said that they’re going to be there!”

“No.” Luke replied in a monotone voice, “That party with the sugar incident was the last party I’m going to ever in my life.”

“Come on, not even a graduation party?”

“I’m going to the graduation party—hosted by the school because there won’t be drugs there.” Luke said with a snobby look.

“Okay, that’s completely not true. You heard about Mr. Anderson buying coke from that kid in our Psych class, right?” Calum snickered.

Luke nearly choked on his potatoes as his eyes widened at his best friend, “Wait, that was true?”

“Psh, yeah!” the other boy chuckled. He popped a chip into his mouth and waved it off as if it wasn’t a big deal, which it really wasn’t.

“Luke!” his older brother’s voice rang. Luke looked in the direction of the cool kid’s table to see his brother walking towards the two. He had a smug look on his face as he looked between the two. Luke felt himself frowning because he still hadn’t heard Ashton say sorry about the whole camera incident, and Calum just kept a smile on his face as he stared at the older boy, “How are you holding up?”

“Don’t even speak to me.” Luke snapped, avoiding his brother’s eyes as he stared down at his food.

Ashton just humorously chuckled as he looked around, before leaning in close to the younger boy, “ I need you to hold onto this for me.” he whispered, pulling a small plastic bag of a white powdery substance. Luke frowned at this, quirking up his eyebrow. As if he’s going to do a favor for his brother that made him miserable every day.

“I’ll do it.” Calum chirped. Luke whipped his head in his best friend’s direction as he saw Calum keep his eyes locked on Ashton’s.

“Would you really?” Ashton asked with a hopeful look on his face.

“Well, yeah. I mean, if you tell those guys about me.” Calum nodded his head toward the table.

Ashton looked back at the table as well and turned back at Calum with a smile, “You got a deal, Hood.”

He handed Calum the baggie and Luke’s eye twitched from annoyance. His eyes widened in fear all of the sudden when Ashton leaned in, face to face with Luke as he growled, “I’m gonna beat your ass when you get home.”

So Luke planned on not coming home that night.

 

~

 

“One scoop of mint chocolate chip please.” Luke said, looking over the selections with Calum by his side, already licking off his cone. Luke shot him a look that read, ‘You fucking idiot, we didn’t even pay yet.’

Calum just shrugged and gestured toward his cone, “That’s one scoop?”

“Yeah they make ‘em huge.”

Calum giggled at that response and side eyed Luke, where the younger boy gave him another death glare as he pulled out the money when the guy told him the total. “I don’t even know why I’m paying for you.” Luke mumbled, and the man behind the counter chuckled while giving him back the change.

The boys walked and talking about random things that came to thought and Calum sighed when he saw a group of teenagers packed in a car with their radio blasting and them hooting even louder. He licked his ice cream lamely before groaning loudly and looking up at the sky as he did so, “Luke, we could be at that party right now! It’s 7:00 on a Friday night, what kind of teenagers do this?”

“We do.” Luke replied simply, looking at the scenery around him. The trees were green and so was the freshly cut grass. The pond that were walking along was full of life and the ripples of the water were so delicately smooth, Luke wanted to snap a picture of every inch of the park.

“I know what you’re thinking.” Calum said with a small smile. Luke stayed silent to let him say something, “You want to take pictures right now.”

“It’s pretty hard to do that without your only camera.” Luke muttered, thinking back at that time Ashton broke it to pieces. Luke rolled his eyes and practically bit into his ice cream and Calum cringed at that.

“Okay, Luke,” Calum said as he stopped into his tracks, so Luke did as well and he stared at his friend, baffled, “I’ll make a deal with you.”

“Depends what it is.” Luke challenged, squinting as his best friend.

Calum cleared his throat with a devious smile on his face, “So my aunt gave me this film camera for my birthday last year and I haven’t used it. I think it takes the same film yours did. I don’t know what to do with it because I have no idea how to use it, and keep in mind that this thing isn’t as good as your old one.”

“Fuck, yes, Calum!” Luke immediately cried, shaking his best friend’s shoulder with one of his hands since the other was already carrying his ice cream.

“I haven’t even gotten to the deal yet!” Calum snickered. Luke stopped suddenly and nodded his head eagerly, “Okay, so, I’ll give you the camera… _if_  you come to the party with me tonight, _and_  if you stop taking pictures of fucking trees and shit.” Luke frowned and rolled his eyes. It’s not like Calum is going to know what kind of pictures Luke will take of, “And Luke, I know what you’re thinking _again._ ‘How is Calum going to know what I’m taking pictures of?’”

Luke cursed out loud.

“Well, Luke, I’m going to monitor you. I’m going to keep track of how many photos you take and I can see that you take one without my permission. I can tell by how much film you have in the camera since it has a film count.” Calum explained with a smug smile.

Luke groaned at the sky and flipped him off, “You’re gonna make me hate photography.”

“Babe, what you did before wasn’t even photography. I’ll show you what _real_ photography is.”

 

~

 

Luke was overwhelmed by the amount of people that fit in the one story house. Music was blasting from a large vintage vinyl player in the living room and smaller ones played in the other rooms with less people. At some point someone walked by Luke and handed him a red cup full of a substance he didn't know the name of. Calum's eyes were lit up as he looked around the room full of sweaty bodies and happy faces. In the corner of the room there were some of his classmates and some people he didn't even know that were doing lines of cocaine, one of them being one of Mali's friends. Calum said something to Luke that was unintelligible and he walked in that direction anyway. Luke stood in the middle of the party like a deer in the headlights and he didn't know what to do with himself first.

"Beer pong in the garage!" a voice called out, and everyone dancing raised their cups into the air with loud howling and screams. A few people left the room but the majority stayed in the living room, swaying their hips to _Centerfold_ by The J. Geils Band. People were so familiar with the song, and they knew every lyric as they sang the chorus together and every once in a while he heard people laughing in between lines. He didn't even know whose house he was in and he didn't know where Calum went, either.

He made his way to the kitchen and found couples making out, people drinking with their friends or a few people hanging around the snacks, so Luke did just that. He trashed the cup and went for some water from the tap instead, plopping next to the bowl of chips and dumped his hand in it, grabbing handful and shoving it in his mouth.

"Whoa there," a female voice snickered. Luke looked up, mouth full and all, to see Calum's sister, Mali. She smiled down at the younger boy and took a seat next to him, nudging him slightly with her elbow, "What are you doing in here?"

"Calum went somewhere else. Wouldn't know where." Luke shrugged with some chips still in his mouth. He was used to acting this way in front of Mali. She was like a sister to him.

"Oh, Luke." she sighed, wrapping an arm around him and pulling him into a side hug, "I just think maybe you should let loose. That's what being a teenager's all about."

Luke scoffed at her words and shook his head, "You're just like Calum."

"Or you mean Calum is just like me? I don't know what's so wrong with having fun. Cal looks up to me because I know how to have fun. As long as no one gets hurt, everything will be okay. Remember that, Luke." Mali explained, smiling down at Luke before sipping her drink. Luke looked at it and furrowed his brows.

"What is that?" Luke asked.

Mali looked down at her drink and smirked, "Wanna try it?" she handed him the cup and Luke took it hesitantly, put his lips on the rim and took a sip. His face twisted into a distorted look and Mali was cracking up, she took the drink back and patted Luke on the back, "You've got a long way to go, Lukey. Have fun, okay? Go dance!"

He didn't listen. Once she left the room, he got up and began walking toward the front door. On his way there, he saw Calum dancing like a maniac with some of Mali's friends. His pupils with dilated and his shirt was drenched with either sweat or alcohol, he couldn't tell. Everyone else seemed to be the same though. What hurt was that he didn't spare Luke a glance, so the younger boy walked out of the party with a small frown. The night was warm and Luke was uncomfortable, even from taking one sip from Mali's drink, Luke felt a feeling in the pit of his stomach and it wasn't a good feeling at all. That's when he found himself puking in the front yard that belonged to a kid he didn't even know. Someone must have spiked the drink and Mali was immune to it, because one time Luke took a sip of his mother's vodka and it was nothing like this.

Luke felt like shit, though. He was on his knees now, puking away a storm. Taking hopefully the last sputter, Luke took one last spit and wiped his mouth with his sleeve and shoved his face in his hands, "Fuck Calum's camera."

He stood up and tried to find his way home in the small suburban neighborhood, but he ended up getting lost anyway. Luke didn't mind that much because he needed his fresh air and to clear his head from what just happened. After a couple hours of walking, he found his home and opened the door to the two story house.

"Luke is that you?" Ashton called from upstairs. He was listening to that stupid fucking album again.

"Yeah." Luke replied. Ashton rushed down the stairs with an evil smile on his face but it disappeared when he saw his brother.

"Whoa, you look like shit." Ashton chuckled. Luke let out a long sigh before looking into the mirror hanging on the wall. He had bags under his red eyes, his hair was a mess and he had a puke stain he didn't even realize was there on his sleeve, "Were you at John's party?"

"Yeah I think that's his name, and you weren't?" Luke asked, taking his shirt off and throwing it onto the couch. Ashton walked into the kitchen, Luke following. He pulled out a glass from the cabinet and filled it with water, handing it to Luke. Luke took it and chugged it down as Ashton shrugged.

"Never liked the kid. His parties usually suck." Ashton explained, "Why were you there?"

Luke put the glass down "Calum dragged me. You know how he is."

"He's a crazy kid," Ashton said, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed as he stared at his younger brother, "Shit, I forgot to get that coke back from Calum."

"He probably snorted it all by now." Luke joked, but deep in his mind he knew that it may not be a joke. Calum probably already used it all by now.

"He better not. That was a special bag of it. I got it off of some guy that lives downtown. He just told me it was hard shit and majorly addictive. I was going to sell it to someone else because I'm just not into stuff that intense."

Luke's jaw was dropped now. He stared at his brother with wide eyes and his blood came to a boil, "You could have fucking mentioned that when you gave it to him, you dumbass!"

"Chill out, maybe he didn't actually use it." Ashton chuckled, but there was fear in his eyes.

"You should've fucking seen him before I left! Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit..." Luke panicked, "Why did you need him to hold onto it in the first place?"

"Um..." Ashton started, scratching his head as he avoided Luke's eyes, "My class was chosen for doing a drug test before graduation. Didn't wanna have it on me when they're patting me down."

"Fuck... Fuck!" Luke fumed, pulling at his hair as he paced back in fourth. He released his hands from his hair and he pointed at his older brother, "You're driving me back to that fucking party and we're grabbing him."

Ashton only nodded and walked toward the front door with Luke following after grabbing a shirt on the way. He grabbed the keys to his beat up Ford truck and the boys hopped in. Ashton knew where the this John kid lived and Luke immediately hopped out of the car with Ashton following behind him. When they walked in, Ashton was bombarded with greets and hugs from his friends and got some attention from the girls, and it was obvious that Ashton was into the attention but _his_ attention was more focused on Luke's best friend, who had something that belonged to him.

Luke searched and searched and he even ran into Mali, who said she didn't know where he was, and Luke tried to play it cool and nodded with a smile. He looked all around the party and he remembered that a guy announced that beer pong was in the garage, so that was the next place he headed to. Luke was overwhelmed by how many people were crowded around the ping-pong table. He felt his brother nudge him gently. He looked up at Ashton, who was pointing toward the corner of the room. Calum was kneeled over a cardboard box with a few rockers next to him, where they patted Calum on the back and laughed at something one of them said. Luke frantically headed over and flicked Calum's ear.

The older boy looked back at his friend and a smile spread widely across his face. There was a white tint around his nose and Luke stared at the boy as he spoke, "Luke! 'Bout time you joined us! Here, take a hit!"

"We need to go." Luke ordered, latching onto Calum's arm and hoisting him up.

"What? No!" Calum hissed, trying to fight away from Luke's grip.

"Ashton!" one of the rockers greeted, high-fiving the curly haired boy, "Thought you passed up the party, man!"

"Couldn't resist, Sam." Ashton lied with a small chuckle.

"Well what are you waiting for, buddy? Where's your drink?" another guy asked. Calum was smiling down at the boys and Luke kept the obvious worry on his face.

"Designated driver. I'll-I'll see you guys around, all right?" Ashton stammered, ruffling Sam's hair and taking Calum's other arm as they dragged him out of the house.

"You're so fucking fake, Ash." Luke hissed once they shoved Calum into the backseat of the truck.

Ashton was just about to fire back, but Calum interrupted, "Why the hell did you drag me out of there?"

"You have something that belongs to Ashton." Luke replied in the kindest tone possible, "Also, you're spending the night at my place."

"I am? Damn, tonight is such a treat." Calum snickered, covering his face with his arms as he lay down in the backseat. 

"So? Do you have the stuff?" Luke asked.

"Oh, the coke? Yeah, yeah, I still have it." Calum giggled, pulling out the bag from his pocket and throwing it on the dashboard.

Ashton was quick to snatch it and shove it in his pocket, "Thank fucking God." Luke was relieved. Fuck it, 'relieved' was an understatement. He couldn't find the words to describe how reassured he felt at that moment, "Hey, thanks for holding onto it, man."

"No worries. I got what I wanted out of all of this." Calum said with a cocky tone, a knowing smirk on his face, "Hey, Luke." Luke hummed in response, eyes closed as the atmosphere changed. He could finally breathe, "There's a concert tomorrow night and our journey begins there. Get ready to take some photos, my friend. Your whole world will shift."

"A concert? Whose playing?" Ashton asked as he turned on the blinker before making a turn.

"I don't know, some guy's band. Mali knows who he is and she just told me about it. It sounds fun, though. They're into AC/DC and all that heavy shit." Calum explained nonchalantly.

"Calum you know I hate that music."

"You're just uncultured. Learn to enjoy it, all right?" Calum snickered.

"I have to agree with him on this one." Ashton giggled, punching his brother in the shoulder and the younger boy winced, rubbing the pained spot. The last thing Luke wanted to do after that horrible night was to go out again, be surrounded by thirty times the amount of people at that party, not to mention to have them all be Ashton and Mali's crowd. All he knows is that he's going to be keeping his eye on Calum the whole time and he probably won't even enjoy himself at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the read!
> 
> I update off of the feedback I get! Please leave your lovely comments so I know this story is some good shit :-) I love this story so much & I love YOU so much!
> 
> Here's the playlist for this story!
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/user/jademaltese/playlist/02vpkiWd5lnSoW0lenUnZe
> 
> -Jade


	3. Fight For Your Right - Beastie Boys

Saturday nights to Luke were all about sitting and watching television while eating a shitload of junk food. This was not one of those nights. Instead, Mali was driving Luke and Calum to a concert at a small venue that apparently, has a reputation for starting mosh pits at every single show, the place holds the longest record, Mali says. Luke’s palms were sweaty while he looked out the window as they drove. Calum was having a conversation with Mali about how excited they were but Luke stayed silent, even though they were probably asking him questions.

It was a free show. Getting inside was easy, all they needed was a wristband for being underage so they couldn’t get a drink from a bar, but Luke knew that Calum and Mali had a way for everything. They were both charming and outgoing, the exact opposite of what Luke was. He could already smell the cigarettes and another odor that was similar to skunk spray, where Luke later found out it was marijuana. The atmosphere was humid and hot. Luke already felt his face burning up and he kept the camera close to his body just in case anyone could knock it over and shatter his whole night to pieces. He felt Calum nudge him so he turned around and faced his friend. Calum already had a drink in his hand and he gestured to the camera, “Take a picture of me.”

“Of you?” Luke asked as if he was crazy.

“Yes, Luke, of me. This is how you make memories!” Calum shouted, holding up his glass and smiled wide as a pose for the camera. Luke raised the camera nonetheless and snapped the picture. Calum grinned and looked at the number of film left on the top, which read ’17’.

“Now what?” Luke asked. Calum looked around and grabbed Luke’s hand and dragged him through the crowd of people and pushed their way to the front. People began cussing at them, but Calum used his charm to shut them up so they could get the best seat in the house, well in this case, best standing in the house. Luke stretched his neck to look for Mali, and it only took a couple seconds to see long bleached blond hair talking it up with a pale boy with bleached hair as well. He and Mali were on the other side of the barricade separating the crowd and the stage. They were over toward the side of the stage and he was whispering something in her ear and she was laughing, placing her hand on his shoulder as she whispered something back.

For some reason he couldn’t stop staring at the boy, there was something about him that caught Luke’s eye. He didn’t know if it was the tattoos on his arms or the contrast between his pale skin and his dark clothing. For once Luke thought someone was so cool and alluring. He didn’t realize Calum was talking to him until the older boy flicked the back of Luke’s head. He winced at the sharp pain and pushed his best friend slightly, “What the fuck was that for?”

“I was talking to you and you’re too busy staring at my sister. That’s fucking weird, man.” Calum grumbled.

“I’m not— I wasn’t—“ Luke stuttered, but the booming of the amplifiers on stage interrupted him and the crowd started cheering as a band emerged from backstage and plugged in their instruments. From the corner of Luke’s eye he saw the bleach haired boy walking on stage and picking up a guitar that sat on a stand. His eyes widened as he stared at the boy on stage. He looked over the crowd with a toothy grin and through the microphone he screamed, “How the fuck are you all doing tonight?”

The crowd responded with a sea of roars and screaming. The boy smiled and nodded at their energy, “Are you all ready to have a good time?” he asked, where he got the same response from the audience but even louder. He nodded in approval before playing the first chords of the song, leading into a heavy sound that everyone immediately began moshing to, and Luke tried his best to stay out of it. Suddenly a hand grabbed his arm and he panicked for a second before realizing that it was Mali’s, so he relaxed under her touch as she hoisted him over the barricade so it was just the two of them directly in front of the stage. Behind the barricade, Calum got lost in the moshpit with everyone else.

“Take some pictures!” Mali yelled as loud as she could in Luke’s ear, and the younger boy nodded before raising the camera and getting the frontman into the frame. The lights above him were blue, so it gave him a mesmerizing glow that would hopefully turn out okay on the film.

Everyone knew the lyrics to the song the band was playing. Luke looked over at Mali, who was head banging and mouthing to the lyrics, _“You’ve gotta fight! For your right! To party!”_ and proceeded to do a crazy dance and shook her hips to the beat and occasionally, accidentally, hit Luke in the process. Even with her shenanigans, Luke kept his eyes on the boy on stage. He found himself every thirty seconds raising the camera up and snapping a picture of him. And after those few seconds, Luke found himself dancing. Dancing to the music. The boy on stage was doing something to Luke, almost like magic. He felt a rush in his body when he made one small glance down at Luke as he strummed the guitar and sung the lyrics and boy, Luke nearly fainted.

He didn’t know why he was taking all those photos of him, he didn’t even know his name. But the way he looked over the crowd, the way his lips pressed against the mic, the way his fingers danced along the fretboard, and the way the lights hit his face with a mesmerizing glow—a whole new world opened up for Luke, and he found a new art to capture.  And that’s when Luke knew what Calum was talking about. His heart was beating fast and he inhaled the humid air plus the cigarette fumes. This was fun.

When the song was over, everyone stopped moshing and whistled, screamed, you name it. The boy onstage smiled at the audience and played an opening chord to the song as he spoke, "You guys having a good time?" and the crowd responded. "Bitchin'! But this is just the beginning. You ready for some more?"

Luke was amused about how well he riled up the audience. The rest of his bandmates just knew how to headbang, but that was enough stage presence to get the crowd to go nuts. The rest of the concert was a blur and Luke failed to get the band's name or more importantly, the frontman's name. And to say Luke was disappointed was an understatement when Mali said that Luke could take her car and to take Calum home because she would be hanging out with the band afterwards, because Luke wanted to hang out with the band. All Luke could do was ask, but he was too much of a weenie to do so. Luke took her keys as he watched Mali hop on stage and walk into the back.

It took Luke about a half hour to find Calum, but instead found him passed out on the couch next to the bar. Next to him was a hairy dude with his shirt off who smelled like liquor and cigarettes. He hoisted his best friend up and Calum was wobbly in his legs. Most of his weight was on Luke and the younger boy struggled to hold him up. He managed to anyway and dragged him to the car. Once they were in the car, Luke buckled him up and started the engine. This is always how the nights ended with Calum and his partying. Luke would always pick him up to lift him up to his feet and then baby him on the way home. Before taking off, Luke looked over at his best friend, whose eyes were shut and his mouth was parted open.

"Cal," Luke said, poking his chubby cheek. When Luke didn't get a response, he slapped his friend's face, "Calum!" A small groan came out of Calum as he shifted his head away from the boy and toward the window. That was a good sign to Luke, so he began driving back home.

Luke had to call Ashton out of the house before dragging Calum inside because Calum was too heavy for Luke to carry himself. It was around 1 in the morning and Ashton was beyond pissed when Luke's voice echoed through the house just so he could help him hoist his friend inside. Ashton obliged anyway.

The brothers plopped Calum onto the couch, who giggled when he hit the cushioning and proceeded to cuddle the pillow and inch himself into a fetal position. Ashton sighed and ran his hand through his hair, eyeing Luke, “Bringing him home again?”

“I’m not letting his parents see him this way,” Luke walked into the kitchen and filled up a glass of water, “It’s better for him to be here since mom and dad are gone.”

“When are they coming back again?”

“The 25th of next month.”

Luke and Ashton’s parents went of vacation without them because their family was filthy rich and they felt like they needed a break from the kids. They were never around anyway, so it never phased the brothers. Their only responsibility was to finish high school and then later, their parents could buy their tuition for college. Luke and Ashton were both seniors, but Ashton got held back one year so he and Luke ended up in the same grade. With school ending in a week, it was a lot on the boys as they got ready for graduation since their parents weren’t around.

“What are we gonna do about him?” Ashton asked, gesturing to the lump on the couch.

Luke shrugged and placed the glass of water on the side table for Calum once he woke up, “He sleeps on the couch tonight. What else?”

“This rarely happens,” Luke gave his brother a look as if he was stupid. Ashton rolled his eyes, “Let me rephrase that—this rarely happens this often.”

Luke had to agree with his brother, “You’re right. Maybe it’s just the rush from school ending soon."

There was a pause between them as they stared at the sleeping boy on the couch, but Ashton broke the silence with a whisper, "Are you sure he's okay?"

"I'm sure he is. You know how he is, Ashton." Luke replied with an irritated tone. He started walking upstairs and into his room, leaving Ashton staring over the teenage boy's body in silence.

 

Luke was laying on his bed and staring at the ceiling. He couldn't sleep because all he could think of was that he was having fun that night and the boy on stage did all of that for him. He needed to know who he was and his next mission was to ask Mali about it. He didn't want to come off as creepy, though. Plus, he didn't even know if Mali was dating the guy. It sure looked like it. The thought made Luke's stomach hurt. His mind drifted from Mali and the boy to the camera. He picked it up from the side table and looked at the top, squinting to see what the number was. There were 3 more photos left in the camera. Luke sighed and placed the camera back onto the table before plopping back onto his bed and covering himself with the sheets. Sleep took over him minutes later after daydreaming about the night all over again.

 

~

 

Luke woke up to loud music playing downstairs. He groaned loudly and shoved a pillow onto his head, pushing it down with all his might. Even over his heavy breathing, he could hear the faint drumbeat from the turn table. Defeated, Luke got up and brushed his teeth and let the water run to drown out the noise. He headed downstairs after getting dressed and rubbed at his eyes with a yawn as he saw his brother making pancakes, shaking his hips to the beat and mouthing to the lyrics. Calum was squatted on the ground flipping through the different vinyls they had.

“Cal, you want one or two?” Ashton called over the music.

“Three.”

“You got it.”

Luke ran his hand through his greasy hair as he approached the boy’s terrain, “Since when did you guys become friends?” Luke interjected, approaching the kitchen and resting his arms on the counter.

Ashton glanced back at Luke for a split second before returning his attention back to the food, “Since Calum told me Mali has connections with Billy Squier.”

“Whose that?” Luke asked, looking in between the two.

Calum whipped his head up at Luke but hit his head against the table in the process. He cursed loudly and held his head, eyes shut tight, “You okay?” Ashton asked, setting the pancakes on a plate and sliding the syrup behind it.

“I’ll survive.” Calum groaned, standing up and sitting at the island.

Luke took a seat next to him and stared blankly into space, “Do you remember the name of that band last night?”

Ashton gave his brother an amused look while he stirred up more batter, “Ah, so you liked it?”

“I—well—“

“I think Luke is in love with my sister.” Calum said nonchalantly as he practically shoved a whole pancake in his mouth.

“Your sister is hot.” Ashton added.

“No!” Luke screeched, covering his ears, “Ugh, no! I just think the band was okay. I—I wanna take more pictures of them.”

“Bro, I wouldn’t know. You knew how hammered I was last night.” Calum snickered, plopping a load of syrup onto his second pancake, “Besides, I never bothered to remember because I thought I knew for a fact that you wouldn’t be interested.”

“Well you thought wrong.” Luke mumbled, crossing his arms.

“I’m surprised,” Ashton started. he pushed a plate of pancakes toward Luke. 

“I hate you both,” grumbled Luke as he shoved his whole breakfast in his mouth, “I’mb gwonna gwo devewup dis fiwmn amnd bwuy mowre.”

“It’s kinda hard to understand someone when their mouth is full.” Ashton asserted as he gave Luke side eyes.

Luke took a huge gulp and panted heavily as he spoke, “I’m gonna get my film developed and then buy more. You coming, Cal?”

Calum squirted some syrup into his mouth and Luke cringed. Ashton laughed out loud and eventually sat down to eat. Calum shook his head and cut up the last pancake, “I think this is gonna be my rest day. Go have fun looking at your shitty photography, Luke.”

“Fuck you.” Luke growled as he stomped out of the house, grabbing the camera by the side table. He meant to make it sound teasing and playful but it came out aggressive. With a slight shrug, Luke placed the camera in his basket and hopped onto his bike.

 

~

 

Luke walked into the local supermarket and went to the camera section. He held the camera tightly in his hand as he walked toward the man behind the counter who was talking it up with a girl with high waisted jeans, long blonde hair and a tank top that exposed some side boob. She looked interested in what he was saying, and Luke could see the sweat on his forehead. He waited and waited until he cleared his throat and the man behind the counter jumped in his place and the girl turned around, and Luke had to admit she was beautiful.

“How can I help you, man?” the guy asked. His name tag read, “Richie”.

“I just wanna drop off this film so it can be developed.” Luke stated, walking past the girl and placing his camera on the table.

Richie looked down at the camera and back at Luke, cracking a smile just a little bit, “All right, kid. That’ll be $1.50.” Luke dug into his pocket and fished out two dollars. Richie took the money and shoved it in the cash register. He took the film out of the camera and put it somewhere in a shelf below the counter and raised his eyebrows at Luke, “You’re all set, bud.”

“Thanks.” Luke mumbled, glancing up at the girl one last time before buying more film and walking out of the store. It was noon and the sun was shining, the birds were chirping. Luke has nothing else to do for the rest of the day but his mind drifted as he unlocked his bike from the rack and began riding down the line of shops. He wanted to know the name of the band again, he wanted to know the frontman’s name more specifically. He began to daydream, meeting him, him calling Luke cute, the smile on his face so bright, and then he leans in—

“Hey kid! Watch where you’re going!” a man called out, and Luke stopped his bike faster than the speed of light, and then he was flying… And then he was on the ground. Luke groaned in pain as he looked up and saw a family looking down at him. The man had an angry look on his face and his wife was holding her eldest daughter close to her legs. The youngest son, however, was licking an ice cream cone with a bored look on his face. Some of his ice  cream dripped right in Luke’s face and the older boy flinched. He groaned and wiped it off with the sleeve of his shirt as the man spoke, “You were going around 25 miles per hour in a busy area full of pedestrians! Are you crazy?”

“Sorry,” Luke muttered, standing up slowly and walking his bike down the sidewalk full of curious eyed people. He had a frown on his face now, and an wound on his elbow from breaking his fall. He could feel the blood dripping down his forearm but he didn’t have the energy to care at that point. He probably looked like a crazy person from the looks that people were giving him. A group of teenager girls whispered to each other as they walked by and stared at him, and Luke just simply flipped them off and they giggled when they were eventually far behind him.

From the corner of his eye he saw a tuff of bleached blond hair come out of a small consignment store and Luke stopped in his tracks, a few people who were walking behind him muttered profanities at him when they walked around him. Luke hurriedly dropped his bike and ran over to the boy and his cheeks went bright red when he tapped on his shoulder, “Hi, I’m Luke, um… I just really—“ The boy turned around and it in fact, was not a boy, but a girl with short bleached hair with a large frame. Luke giggled nervously and bit his lip, “Sorry, wrong person.”

The girl just raised her eyebrows and turned back around and smiled at another girl with longer brown hair that came out and hugged her. As Luke walked back to his abandoned bike, he heard the other girl ask, “Who was that?”

“Nobody.” Luke mumbled to himself as he picked up his bike and more carefully, rode back to his home. When he threw his bike onto the lawn after taking his camera out, he walked inside the house and was greeted with silence. “Ashton? Calum?” Luke called out, but there was no answer. The blond sighed and walked to the bathroom where he found the medical supplies. He cleaned out his wound with some rubbing alcohol, where the blond hissed under the stinging before placing a bandage over it. The doorbell suddenly rang and Luke leaped up from the sudden noise and put his hand over his chest where he nearly thought his heart popped out of his body from the scare. He ran to the door and opened it, revealing Mali with a smile on her face. She stepped into the house without Luke even saying she could, but this was normal by now.

“Where’s Calum? I didn’t see him come home last night.” Mali asked, plopping down onto the couch and putting her feet up onto the coffee table as she scrolled through TV channels.

“I wouldn’t know. Ashton’s missing too.” Luke shrugged, sitting next to her. He wrapped his arms around himself as he stared blankly at the screen. For some reason he was having a harder time talking to Mali, but he suspected because it might have to do with a certain bleached blond boy with a dashing smile.

“Hm… Maybe he took him out somewhere. Whatever, I’m not too concerned. He’s probably fine.” Mali chuckled, glancing over at Luke for a split second before returning her gaze onto the television. She settled on the MTV channel.

As guitar riffs filled the room and Mali whispering the lyrics flew through Luke’s ears, the blond sighed loudly and rubbed his hands over his face, “What was the name of that band?”

“This band? Duran Duran.” Mali pointed at the screen with the remote.

“No, I mean…” Luke started, scratching the back of his head, “The band we saw.”

Mali’s face stretched into a smile and she elbowed Luke, “Ohh! That was Space Hysteria.”

“Space Hysteria?” Luke mumbled.

“Why’d you ask, sugar boy?” Mali asked with a teasing smile. Luke cringed at the nickname.

“I just—I really like—“

“The music? Well why didn’t you say so? They’re having another gig tomorrow night and I’ll bring you with me?” Mali offered, a glint in her eye.

Luke let out an audible gulp and shook his head, “But it’s a school night.”

“I’ll get you home before school starts! You only have like what, a couple days left?”

“A week.” Luke grumbled. Mali grinned widely at Luke and smacked the back of his head. Luke winced at that and Mali laughed out loud, her hands on her hips as she sat up.

“I can’t believe you, Luke Hemmings! You’re finally gonna get out of the house!”

“It’s just a concert.” Luke mumbled, avoiding her eyes as he looked at the coffee table. He focused on a small crack in the glass as she spoke out.

“I’ll even bring you backstage to meet the band!”

And Luke froze—his whole world did, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the read!
> 
> I update off of the feedback I get! Please leave your lovely comments so I know this story is some good shit :-) I love this story so much & I love YOU so much!
> 
> Here's the playlist for this story!
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/user/jademaltese/playlist/02vpkiWd5lnSoW0lenUnZe
> 
> -Jade


	4. Just Like Heaven - The Cure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys so sorry for the late update. My stupid ass lost her laptop.... (dropped it in the bathtub) *clears throat* eh hem.... I lost it. So I lost all my data of the chapters I wrote for this story, along with the notes I had for the storyline. I'm trying to reconstruct it all but I think I have the basics down in my notes. Thanks for your patience!
> 
> -Jade

He didn’t see Calum or his brother until the next day. The odd thing was at lunchtime, Luke was walking to the cafeteria alone after waiting in front of Calum’s classroom because Luke always waits for Calum so they could walk to lunch together. It wasn’t that case on this Monday afternoon. Calum never came out of his classroom because his teacher, who gave Luke a strange look when he noticed a student standing outside of his classroom, asked what he was doing there and Luke replied that he was waiting for Calum Hood. The teacher just rolled his eyes and locked the classroom, side eyeing Luke as he spoke, “That kid decided not to show up to class. What’s the big surprise, eh? Senior ditch day is every day for that punk.”

Luke looked around the cafeteria and he even had the balls to go up to the table full of Mali’s friends. Of course he earned stares from that, but the table treated him like family when he approached because it seemed like they all knew Luke’s name. “Luke!” Sam shouted, bringing him into a tight hug. Luke coughed when he smelled cigarettes on his clothing.

“Hey, um… Have you guys seen Calum Hood?” Luke asked, adjusting the strap on his backpack.

Sam and a few guys look at each other, some shrugged and one guy with a girl on his lap raised his hand to motion for Luke. The younger boy hurried over nonetheless.

“I seen him doin’ lines in the boy’s bathrooms. He’s with Ricky and uhh… What’s his name? With the hair?” the boy asked, accent thick.

“I think his name is George. George, right?” the girl asked with a soft raspy voice, looking down at the greaser.

“George, yeah! That’s it! Georgie!”

Luke nodded at his words and headed straight to the boy’s bathroom. When he walked in, he was greeted with silence but seconds later he heard heavy sniffing and a similar laugh that was so dear to him following after. 

“Calum?” Luke asked, voice bouncing off the tile walls.

“Luke? What’s up man? Come join us.” Calum’s voice spoke. Luke followed his voice and opened up the handicap stall. The bathroom seat was down and two other boys were knelt down on their knees, and not to Luke’s surprise, there was about four lines on the seat where they were sniffing. 

“I waited outside class for you.” Luke said, keeping his ground as he stared at Calum from the stall door.

Calum took a long sniff and then looked up at Luke, his right nostril covered in a white tint. He kept his finger over his left nostril and smiled at Luke, “You did, huh? That’s what friends are for, man.”

“Yeah, and you weren’t there.” speculated Luke, arms crossed at his stared at his best friend.

Calum stared at him back for a solid five seconds in silence, it seemed like he was zoning out. Then he raised his eyebrows and his mouth stretched into a grin, “Oh yeah! Whoops.” he recalled.

Luke didn’t really know what to say to his friend. Things lately had been slacking between them. He disappears one day, comes back and Luke finds him absolutely wasted or high. He was starting to question who this guy was, because this guy wasn’t the insecure, lanky, energetic lad Luke knew him as. He was a slacker, a ditcher and a druggie.

“Calum… I think we should talk outside.” Luke said. Calum just glanced between the two boys that were leaned over the toilet and he got up anyway, sniffing loudly as they walked out of the bathroom together. They began to walk outside in silence, leaving the noise from the cafeteria behind and they were by a big tree that sat by the parking lot. Calum was rubbing at his nose and his pupils were dilated. This is the image of Calum that popped up into Luke’s mind whenever he thought of him now.

“What do you wanna talk about, Lukester?” he asked, leaning against the thick bark. Under the shade Luke could really see the dark circles under his eyes and the faded wrinkles in the corners of them.

“I just wanna ask what’s going on.” Luke started. He was being careful with his words because he didn’t know how his friend was going to react, “And… I noticed you’ve been off lately.”

“Off? I feel great, man!” Calum chuckled, reaching out to teasingly push the younger boy. Luke didn’t budge though, he kept his eyes on Calum’s.

“You’re different. Ever since you’ve been hanging out with those druggies.”

Calum’s smile faded and was replaced with a small frown, “Druggies? Dude, those are my friends.”

“You friends?” Luke scoffed, “Your friends who just willingly give you all the coke in the world? For you to be high 24/7, for you to most likely get drug tested and then expelled right before graduation? Sure, Calum! They’re your best friends!”

His voice was getting increasingly louder and when a few students walked by, Calum just gave them one of his charming smiles. Once they were out of his view, he dragged Luke deeper into the parking lot and he looked sober now. “What the fuck are you saying, Luke?”

“I’m saying you’re asking for trouble. You’re already mixing in with the bad crowd and I never see you anymore, Calum! Ever since those guys started to recognize you as Mali’s brother, you’ve been all over them and you haven’t even hung out with me. What about picking colleges? And going to that university together?” Luke reached out to place his hand on his friend’s shoulder, but he slapped it away. Luke retracted his arm slowly and he held it closer to his body, glaring at the older boy.

“You have always been the goodie two-shoes, Luke. And I’m sick of it. You never know how to have fun.” Calum sneered. His fists were balled up and he was afraid Calum was going to do something, so he took a step back because Calum was most definitely high and anything could happen.

Luke was hurt by his words, though. Maybe Luke was just a sore loser who didn’t know how to have fun. But Luke knew that his future would be worth it. He stood up straighter and looked at Calum in the eye, “If you really think that, then fuck off and get out of my life.” It must have been harsh from the way Calum stared at Luke. He could tell it really hit him hard. But Calum just looked past Luke and walked on by, back into the cafeteria without a word.

 

~

 

The venue was packed. It was a different one this time and it was bigger. Mali started walking toward the stairs that led up to the stage and the younger boy’s hands started to get clammy as he gripped the camera that was wrapped around his neck. When the pair walked on stage and wandered into the back, people in the crowd started to question why they had the right to do so. There was a long hallway full of posters and picture frames, graffiti and amateur murals that that wandered down. Some of the people who walked down the hallway looked scary to Luke with their piercings, tattoos and edgy clothing and he felt like a big weenie when Mali high-fived them and Luke flinched at every move they made.

They settled at front of a door that read in messy handwriting on a small chalkboard, “Space Hysteria.” Luke’s heart skipped a beat when Mali opened the door and was greeted with 3 out of 4 of the band members and a few other people. Luke recognized them as the bassist, drummer, and lead guitarist, but Luke couldn’t see the man he’s been looking for in sight. They were sprawled out on some black leather couches. The lead guitarist had his guitar in hand and was playing random riffs from popular songs that Luke didn’t know the name of, the drummer was talking it up with a girl who looked to be about Luke’s age. The bassist was smoking a cigarette, eyes focused on the small TV set that was in front of him.

“Hey, sluggers.” Mali greeted, a smile on her face. The people in the room turned to face her and they greeted her in various ways. It seemed like they all knew, her, which they all probably did from the way they talked to her so easily.

“Whose this?” the bassist asked, putting his cigarette out as he sat up properly.

Mali elbowed Luke gently, and the boy started to feel light headed from how overwhelmed he was at the moment, “This is Luke, he’s here to take pictures of you guys. He’s got some film developed and it’s on it’s way. Right, Luke?” All eyes were on him and the boy just nodded, staying as close as possible to Mali, camera still gripped.

“Bitchin’, man. Love to see them sometime.” bassist replied with a soft smile.

Mali made sure she could make herself comfortable and plopped down on the couch next to the guitarist. He glanced up at her swiftly before looking back at the fretboard of his guitar. His beard was bushy and his brown hair was pulled back behind his ears. “So, where’s Mikey?”

Mikey. Luke’s ears went up from the sound of his name. He knew exactly who she was talking about. The guitarist nodded his head toward the door, “He went to take a piss.”

“Seems like he’s been gone for a while since we got here. Isn’t it easy for you guys though? Just piss and shake, tuck it back in and call it a day.” Mali asked, and Luke tried not to contain his laugh but failed, he chuckled loudly in his throat. The room looked at him and then giggled at the younger boy’s reaction. Luke’s face went red and Mali nodded in amusement, “See? _Someone_ appreciates my jokes!”

“I appreciate your jokes. What are you talking about?” a voice interjected behind Luke. His whole body froze and he refused to look behind him because he was afraid he would do something embarrassing and then screw up the entire night, “I’m the only one that appreciates you, after all.”

Mali smiled fondly and stood up. He walked past Luke, brushing his shoulder lightly against his as he brought Mali into a hug. An _intense_ hug. Luke’s chest hurt from just looking at the sight and he didn’t know why. Mali broke the hug and looked at the guy, and Luke had only seen the back of his head, “Actually, Luke here has been there since the beginning. I’ve known that kid since he’s been in the womb.”

And he finally turned around, his pale skin, cherry lips and glossy green eyes in all it’s glory. His lips curled up into a smile when Luke blinked repeatedly, eyelashes batting at an unthinkable speed.

“No shit, huh?” Mikey said, stepping forward to look down at Luke. They were the same height but Luke suddenly felt smaller.

“Michael, meet Sugar Boy Luke. Sugar Boy, meet Michael.” Mali introduced, plopping back down onto the couch. 

“Sugar Boy Luke? Interesting.” Michael commented, crossing his arms, fully facing Luke now.

The younger boy cracked a wobbly smile, corners of his mouth shaking slightly, “Y-yeah… That was… Um…”

“Such a funny fucking story.” Mali laughed out loud, sitting up and clapping her hands loudly, “I gotta tell it! So Luke was at a party with me my brother and—“

 _“Mali!”_ Luke hissed, scratching the back of his head. Michael just gave Luke an amusing smile before looking back at Mali.

“You’re no fun, “ she teased, kicking her feet up onto the coffee table, “Oh, I forgot to introduce everyone.” Luke shifted uncomfortably and leaned against the door as Mali spoke, “Mark is the bassist, Dave is the drummer, Hank is the guitarist, and that’s Michael.”

She pointed accordingly as she introduced them, where everyone nodded at the younger boy but Michael offered Luke a soft smile, “You’re a photographer?”

Luke looked down at his camera in surprise. He forgot the reason why he was here, “Oh, yeah. I-I take pictures.”

Michael chuckled at that as he walked toward the table full of food, “Yeah, that’s what a camera is for.”

Luke wanted to punch himself in the face so bad.

Suddenly the door behind Luke opened and the boy went tumbling and tripping forward. Luckily he caught his fall but unluckily everyone in the room saw it. He noticed everyone tried to contain their laughs as Luke’s face turned bright red and a head popped in from the door. He was an older man with a headset on, “Up on stage in 5, you guys.” and he left, shutting the door softly.

Luke’s first instinct was to look over at Michael, who was popping a grape into his mouth as he chuckled at the boy. The younger boy then felt arms wrapped around him and then Mali’s cheek smooshed against his, “You’re so clumsy, just like Calum tells me.”

Obviously Mali didn’t know about Luke and Calum’s fight. Luke almost felt guilty for being out with his older sister while they weren’t on good terms. At the same time Luke felt good about it, almost confident because he was really trying to push toxic people out of his life. The last thing he wanted was a best friend who couldn’t have fun without relying on hardcore drugs.

Looking back up, Luke saw the sight of Michael pulling the guitar strap over his shoulder. He looked prepared and there was a twinkle in his eye when he looked satisfied with how the guitar felt against his body. The rest of the band members trailed behind Michael as they began walking toward the door. What Luke didn’t expect was for Michael to hold the door open for everyone who was getting out of the room, including Mali.

His gaze was held onto Luke, who was the last one left in the room. He was helplessly gripping the camera still and Michael again offered a soft smile, “You coming, Sugar Boy?” Luke could feel himself going red again as he nodded quickly, rushing out of the room and heading over the barricade.

 

It was all so familiar to Luke. The way Michael’s voice sounded through the tacky speakers, the overly distorted guitars and the shaky bass. There was a mosh-pit again, and luckily Luke was separated from it. Luke was getting onto his knees and looking through the lens to capture Michael. He was looking over the crowd and moving a lot, so it was hard to get a steady photo of the boy. Just as Luke was about to change positions, Michael looked down at the boy and paused his movements, smiling down at Luke as he sung and strummed the guitar. The younger boy’s chest ached in so many different places as he snapped the photo, and when Luke nodded in conformation, Michael resumed his stage skills.

Throughout the rest of the night, Michael looked over at Luke as he sung and each time that happened, Luke would feel dizzy but there would always be a stupid smile on his face as he stood on the side of the stage after he ran out of film. The night ended eventually and they sat backstage until Luke decided it was time to go. Mali said that they could leave when Luke was ready, but Luke never wanted to leave. Michael was so charming. Not Calum or Mali charming, but charming as in he was being himself and including Luke in conversations. He talked to Luke with such passion and grace, it was almost like they hit it off and he was talking to Luke like he's known him forever. Luke felt comfortable.

They were scattered around the dressing room eating pizza. Luke was sitting next to the arm of the leather couch and Mali was next to him but was too occupied talking to Hank with the beard. Michael was shoving a piece of pizza in his mouth with eyes on the television screen and as creepy as it sounded, Luke was staring at him. He felt like if he looked away, he would miss an inch of Michael he had never seen that night.

"Earth to Luke!" said Mali, waving her hand in front of the younger boy's face. Michael locked his eyes with Luke now, a small smile curling up as a string of cheese connected from the pizza to his mouth. Luke managed to look away and make eye contact with Mali.

"Yeah?"

"It's two in the morning, my man. You got school tomorrow, right? Well, today." Mali chuckled.

Luke's eyes widened, "O-oh shit... Right... Yeah, I forgot about that." He stood up and made sure to dust off any crumbs on his clothes before strapping the camera back around his neck. He turned to face Mali who was standing up as well, fetching the car keys from her pocket.

"Whoa, he's in high school?" Dave slurred. Dave smoked a blunt only a few minutes before and was in the process of rolling up another one.

"Last week of high school. He's a good noodle. We can't corrupt him now, he still needs to graduate, get his diploma, spend four more years in college before being stuck in a cubicle for the rest of his young life." Mali said it all without a stutter, and the statement left Michael laughing like a hyena.

Luke felt small again. It was almost like Michael was mocking him, but a glint in his eye said otherwise, "Sugar boy, you gotta hang out with us more!" Michael seemed serious. He calmed down by now and all that was left on his face was his signature soft smile that he was sure only Luke received. Luke nodded and awkwardly waved before leaving the room. It wasn't a very cool way to leave a group of rockers when he noticed Mali stayed behind for a few more minutes and from the corner of Luke's eye, he could see Michael give Mali one of the hugs that he gave her when she arrived.

The sight made Luke's blood boil and he had no idea why. Michael was just a cool guy with a life that Luke could dream of having and this was the first time Luke had admitted it, even in his head. But there was something other than that that had Luke going buck wild.

Mali finally emerged from the room and was looking back at the boys in the middle of saying something, “Yeah! For sure, I’ll let him know!” She shut the door and faced Luke with a wide smile, nodding her head toward the exit, “You ready to go, punk?”

 

Luke for sure overslept. He woke up to Ashton standing over him and bombarding him with questions like where he went the night before and why he wasn’t up. Luke’s head hurt and he frowned, but it was replaced with a small dopey smile when he remembered what happened before he went to sleep.

“Why are you smiling at me like that? Is there something on my face?” Ashton asked, walking over to a mirror in Luke’s room.

“No, it’s nothing.” Luke said softly, his neutral face finally coming into view. He sat up onto the edge of the bed and ran his hands over his face and through his hair.

“You know we have five minutes, right?” Ashton asked.

Luke then immediately bolted off the bed and got ready for the day as fast as he could. In the car ride to school with Ashton behind the wheel, Luke was trying really hard not to fall asleep in the passenger seat. Ashton nudged him slightly and Luke opened his eyes, rubbing them as his brother spoke, “Where were you last night?”

“I was um,” Luke started, clearing his throat and tried his best to wake up, “I was at a concert taking pictures.”

“How the hell did you get there?” Ashton asked, glancing over at Luke.

Luke bit his lip and looked out the open window. They were passing by the line of shops and trees. It was a very cute, small town they lived in. “Mali took me. Her friends were the band and she let me meet them.”

He could feel Ashton staring at him while they sat at a red light, “You were with Mali?”

Luke finally looked at his brother and nodded, “Yeah, why?”

He could tell Ashton was struggling with his words, “Are you guys… Do you… Do you like her?”

The thought didn’t even pop up into Luke’s mind. Instead Luke chuckled and shook his head, “No, why would I have a crush on my best friend’s sister?” and Luke’s smile fell when he realized what he said. Scratching his hair, he averted his eyes from his brother.

“Calum told me.”

Luke furrowed his brows and decided to face Ashton again, “He talked to you?”

“Yeah. I went to him, actually. I was wondering where you were yesterday since you didn’t come home from school so I went over to Calum’s to see if you were there. The kid is a mess, Luke.” Ashton explained. The light turn green and they arrived on campus. Luke didn’t know how to respond to his brother. Luke did expect this, though. Calum was really starting to go downhill.

 

~

 

The school day was uneventful. His teachers were giving speeches about how a wonderful class they’ve been all year and how college was expecting a lot out of them, which was very untrue, just like how in middle school the teachers warned the kids that if you got in trouble in high school, they would threaten to take your chair away. When in all four years of Luke being in high school, that definitely did not happen. In a few days it would be graduation while everyone else in school who wasn’t a senior would still be taking their finals.

Luke rushed out of the school building when the bell rung and he biked his way to the store to pick up his film after taking a bus home to drop off his stuff. He was greeted with a different man this time, him being much older with gray hair and a welcoming smile on his face. When Luke finally got a hold of his film, he rushed out of the store fast and biked to a nearby park. He was excited to see how the photos would turn out. Nervous, but excited. Nervous because he had never done photography like this before and he was scared that the lighting would be weird on film.

He finally found a spot in front of the pond he and Calum went to the night of the last party they attended. Taking a seat on the bench and snatching the photos from the basket, he opened up the packaging with such curiosity. The first photo was Calum holding up his drink with that smile on his face, the one that stretches from ear to ear. Luke smiled at the memory, but then immediately his mind went back to the incidents that happened in the boy’s bathroom. His smile was replaced with a frown and he shoved the photo to the back of the stack. The next one, however, was his first picture of Michael. He remembered the night and the exact moment he took the photo. Mali was nudging Luke to start taking photos and Luke snapped this one at what seemed like the perfect moment. The moment when the blue lights were hitting Michael’s figure so perfectly, the contrast between his pale skin and the lights created made the photo look so euphoric and beautiful. Luke’s stomach did flips as he looked through the rest of the photos in awe. No doubt he was proud of this work.

He put the photos back in the stack and hopped onto his bike to race home. The wind hit his face as he rode down the street and the boy smiled so wide, he was sure he’d catch flies. He picked up the photos in a rapid motion and threw his bike carelessly onto the lawn before running into his home. He wanted to shove the photos in his brother’s face and say that his photography wasn't useless after all. However, his mood changed when he was greeted with boy’s laughter and inappropriate comments being thrown at him. “Ashton your baby brother is home!” One of his friends shouted. There were about six boys sprawled out on his mother’s beautiful white leather couch drinking beer and smoking cigarettes. Luke cringed at the smell and ignored their howls and playful banters as he climbed upstairs. “Sugar boy!” One hooted, and then the rest of the boys laughed along with him. Luke hid the blush creeping up his neck with an annoyed expression. He took a deep breath and made it at the top of the stairs. No way those losers are going to ruin his day.

“Ash?” Luke called, voice steady when he was nowhere in sight. He was about to knock on the door when it opened slightly, only a crack, and Ashton slid out with a smile on his face. Luke took a step back and Ashton’s smile fell, but was replaced with a smug one instead.

“What do you want?” Ashton asked, leaning against the doorframe.

Luke stared at his brother for a moment before pulling out the photos, “I got my photos back and I want you to see them.”

Ashton rolled his eyes, “I don’t want to see your photos, Luke.”

Luke was quick to whip them out, “N-no, but look. They’re really good, I promise. You can have some if you want.” Ashton took the photos nonetheless and flipped through them.

“And I’m going to take some of the photos at the event that I didn’t even go to? Makes sense.” Ashton sneered.

His younger brother frowned at that and put his hands to his hips, “You know some people still like art and photos even if they weren’t there when it was being created? Take Mona Lisa for example.”

“Yadda yadda, Luke.” Ashton mumbled, stopping on a photo and staring at it for a while. Ashton swiftly took the photo and shoved it into his flannel before handing Luke the rest of the stack, “Not bad, little brother.”

“You think so?” Luke asked, looking down at the stack and smiling slightly. Suddenly there was a sound of a sneeze coming from Ashton’s room and the older boy closed the door frantically. His brother furrowed his brows and stared at his brother, “Who's in your room?”

“Just a girl.” Ashton replied nonchalantly as he walked past his brother to go downstairs.

“Why are you always bringing girls over? Are you gonna settle with one eventually?” Luke asked loud enough so the girl inside his room could hear. He _definitely_ meant to sound like a dick so the girl would get a hint. Ashton didn’t reply to his brother’s remark, instead he waved him off, “Go jack off in your room, Luke.” Laughs were heard from downstairs and Luke rolled his eyes before walking into his own room and plopping onto his bed. He looked at the photo of Michael and smiled, a funny feeling in his stomach.

 

~

 

Graduation day. Luke’s hands were clammy as he sat in his seat, not to mention with Calum right next to him. Thanks to their last names, there was no way of avoiding each other since the order they had to sit in would be alphabetical. They got called up one by one and while Luke was on stage and Calum’s name was being called, his whole family in the audience cheered and screamed. Mali was stood up on her chair chanting with her friends, and oh god, it wasn’t until now that Luke noticed green eyes and bleached hair. He was sitting down, a leg crossed over the other and he was clapping with a smirk on his face. Luke immediately tensed up and he felt a pang of heat wash over him. He felt his older brother nudge him and he looked to his right. Ashton was still looking forward with a smile on his face but he spoke through gritted teeth, “I can literally feel your nerves. Calm down.” Luke bit his lip and looked to his left at Calum. He wasn’t smiling. So Luke looked forward as well as he listened to the rest of the names being called out.

The ceremony ended with tassels being turned to the left and hats being thrown into the air. Cheering was heard all around, and all the graduates ran off the stage to go greet their friends and family. Luke just looked up at his brother, who didn’t even say anything, but instead ran toward his group of friends wearing matching gowns. Luke stood on stage looking helpless and a bit awkward since he had no one to talk to, so he decided to sit at the edge of the stage and look over the rest of his classmates. With his parents on vacation and his brother doing whatever the hell he was doing with his friends, Luke was alone. He _did_ see from the corner of his eye, Joy, Calum’s mother, motioning him to come over. Then he saw Michael whisper something in Mali’s ear before staring to walk over. _Oh God._

Luke was fast to look down at his feet, legs dangling over the edge of the stage as he took off his cap. His stomach did backflips when he saw a pair of combat boots stand in front of him, and he slowly looked up to meet green eyes and a soft smile. Michael’s arms were crossed over his chest and he lifted his head slightly before saying, “Congratulations, Sugar Boy.”

Luke gave the older boy a wobbly smile. His hair probably looked flat and boring and honestly Luke didn’t get enough sleep last night since he was so nervous for graduation. He felt so insecure at that second. He continued to swing his legs over the edge, avoiding eyes with the older boy, “Thanks.”

Michael tilted his head down so he could see Luke’s face, and when the younger boy finally looked at Michael, he couldn’t help but smile at the older boy. Michael snickered fondly, “You’re being shy.”

“M’not.” Luke mumbled, faux pouting. Michael just laughed and gestured his head to another direction.

“Walk with me.” 

So Luke hopped off the stage and his mind was cloudy from what was happening. He walked beside Michael as the two walked and talked away from the crowd of people. Luke was first to talk, “Why did you come?”

“Mali said she wanted me to come support her brother. Now that I’m like… Family to the Hood’s. Sorta.” Michael explained. Luke felt an uneasy sensation in his stomach.

“Family now?” Luke asked.

“Yeah.”

Luke didn’t even want to hear it come out of Michael’s mouth—that he’s dating Mali and Joy is finally accepting the fact that her boyfriend is now a part of the family. But he knew. He knew _that_ was the case. Luke just nodded as if he understood though, “So like… Why do you wanna talk?”

“Does it hurt to make friends?” Michael asked teasingly. Luke clicked his tongue and sighed.

“I’m just like… I don’t know. Sorry for being weird.” Luke hesitated to say. 

Michael smiled and shook his head. Luke could see it from the corner of his eye, “It’s okay. We all have our off days. But I can tell you’ve been dealing with this for a while now. What’s bothering you?”

Luke finally looked at him. Michael looked genuinely concerned. His smile vanished and his eyebrows were slightly raised in worry, “You actually care?”

“Why wouldn’t I? You’re my photographer, right?” The older boy replied, nudging Luke slightly. He blushed at his words and tried to contain his smile but he failed miserably.

“Your photographer?”

“Yeah, what do you say? Join the crew. And I wanna see those photos you took soon.”

Oh boy, Luke was bursting with joy because he did in fact have photos ready to go, “I actually do have photos developed. I got them back a couple days ago. I’d love for you to look at some and maybe keep a few.”

Michael smirked and glanced over at Luke, “Yeah?” Luke only nodded and he liked his lips, corners of his mouth still curled up.

“So where are your folks?” Michael asked, looking behind them slightly since they were already far away from the crowd, “Didn’t see your parents run up to you and bombard you with praises.”

That’s when Luke’s smile fell and he shrugged, “In Hawaii somewhere.”

The older boy hummed, “Touchy subject?”

“Not really.” The graduate responded, “I’m more disappointed than I am sad. You know that feeling?”

“I know that feeling,” Michael snickered. “Are you the type to talk about your problems and feel better about it after?” Luke thought about it. He hasn’t had an actual problem like this before since the only person he would talk to about things would be Calum, but since he’s the reason why Luke was having issues, he had no one to turn to.

“Um, I’m not sure. Basically Calum, Mali’s brother, is my best friend— _was_ my best friend. We fought because he was going overboard with drugs and he wanted to be friends with Mali’s crowd more than he wanted to be friends with me.” Luke explained, and _oh shit,_ he didn’t realize he was talking to Mali’s boyfriend. So that means Michael is going to go back to her and tell her everything and then Mali will get angry at Luke and side with Calum and then that means there’s no more late nights with Luke’s camera taking pictures of Michael and that means he’ll never get a chance—

“That’s annoying. I think you’re cool, Luke. Wouldn’t trade you for the world.” Michael confessed. Luke stopped in his tracks and soon Michael did too. He looked at Luke with a confused expression.

“So… You’re not gonna tell Mali?” Luke asked.

Michael tilted his head to the side and smiled, “Why would I tell her?”

“Well… Because you two are dating!”

Michael’s face twisted in a funny look that Luke couldn’t read. In fact, he looked like a mix between confused, disgusted, and surprised. It’s the kind of look you give to your friend after they give you bad news but it’s also kinda _strangely, oddly,_ funny in a very _wrong_ way. “We’re not dating, Luke,” and that’s when Luke’s face went pale and then seconds later he felt his face get hot, “We’re just really good friends.”

Luke slapped his hands on his cheeks as he spoke, “T-then why are you considered ‘family’ to the Hood’s?”

“I’m staying at their place for a couple of nights.” Michael explained. The graduate had a puzzled expression and before he could even ask, Michael spoke before him, “So, when can I see those photos?”

“Oh, um… T-today maybe? Like, after the whole ceremony thing. You know…” Luke trailed off, scratching the back of his head. God, he was so socially awkward.

“I’d like that.” Michael smiled, shoving his hands into his leather jacket pockets and looked beyond the sea of people in the distance, “We should head back.”

“Oh, yeah. Um. I forgot about… That. And like. I’m wearing a gown. And I just graduated, wow. I got my diploma.” Luke babbled on.

“You okay?” Michael asked, side eyeing the boy with his signature soft smile.

“Yeah I’m just really hungry I guess.” Luke lied. He shook his head and waved it off like it was no big deal.

“Hey! Who are you?” His older brother’s voice called. Luke’s hairs stood up on his arms and he grit his teeth when he seen Ashton running up to them, hands on his hips as he studied the other boy.

“Ashton, uh-“

“I’m Michael,” the punk butt in, “Luke’s friend.”

The younger boy’s cheeks felt hot at that moment and he refused to look up at either of the boys. Ashton huffed, “Never seen you before, but you look familiar.” Ashton said, trying to put his finger on where he’s seen him before.

“O-oh, um… Ashton, Michael is the guy I took photos of at his gig. You remember the photos, right?” Luke stuttered. He gave his brother a look that read, ‘Don’t fucking embarrass me.’

So Ashton smirked since he knew exactly what Luke was trying to say, and he stood straighter. He adjusted his gown slightly as he spoke, “Michael’s the guy in the pictures you’ve been staring at during your free time? Oh! Him!”

Luke wanted to die.

After saying goodbye to Michael after the awkward encounter _and_ after walking back to Ashton’s car, the younger boy screamed at his brother’s face while Ashton was laughing hysterically. Now Michael would think Luke’s gay. _For Michael._ Luke wanted to crawl into a hole and die because the possibilities of Michael taking back what he said about Luke being his photographer for his band would be high. And no, Luke was not over reacting about the whole situation. But Ashton was right.

When he got home he ran straight to his room while Ashton yelled insincere apologies followed by a helpless chuckle. And Luke did in fact take a specific photo of Michael off his nightstand and stared at the masterpiece for as long as he can remember before plunging his face into the pillow to fall asleep and forget his problems.

**Author's Note:**

> Short chapter because it's a teaser. Let me know what you think because I have ideas written down :-)
> 
> Again, here's the playlist I made for this fic:
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/user/jademaltese/playlist/02vpkiWd5lnSoW0lenUnZe


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